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Wound healing presents a unique challenge for patients with diabetes. Gas therapies have gained significant attention in the wound-healing community. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a small molecule that is well known for its immune-modulating properties when administered at sublethal concentrations. CO is currently in clinical trials for lung disease, sickle cell anemia, and organ transplantation. Here, we investigated the effects of CO in an in vitro wound-healing model and subsequently developed and tested CO gas-entrapping materials (CO-GEMs) for topical application on wounds to promote healing. In this study, we report the efficacy of CO-GEMs in treating full-thickness wounds and pressure ulcers in diabetic mouse models. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that these novel gas entrapping materials could serve as an alternative therapy to both protect the wound bed and promote healing and replace bulky hyperbaric chambers, standard gauze wound dressings, or expensive skin grafts. 

Abstract Anthropogenic warming has led to an unprecedented year-round reduction in Arctic sea ice extent. This has far-reaching consequences for indigenous and local communities, polar ecosystems, and global climate, motivating the need for accurate seasonal sea ice forecasts. While physics-based dynamical models can successfully forecast sea ice concentration several weeks ahead, they struggle to outperform simple statistical benchmarks at longer lead times. We present a probabilistic, deep learning sea ice forecasting system, IceNet. The system has been trained on climate simulations and observational data to forecast the next 6 months of monthly-averaged sea ice concentration maps. We show that IceNet advances the range of accurate sea ice forecasts, outperforming a state-of-the-art dynamical model in seasonal forecasts of summer sea ice, particularly for extreme sea ice events. This step-change in sea ice forecasting ability brings us closer to conservation tools that mitigate risks associated with rapid sea ice loss. 

COoking with gas Low concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) have shown therapeutic benefit in preclinical models, but safe delivery of appropriate dose has been challenging to achieve. Here, inspired by molecular gastronomy, Byrne et al . designed gas-entrapping materials (GEMs) using components generally recognized as safe, including xanthan gum, methylcellulose, maltodextrin, and corn syrup. Solid, hydrogel, and foam GEMs containing CO could deliver different concentrations of the gas to healthy rodents and pigs through noninhaled routes. In rodent models of colitis, acetaminophen overdose, and radiation-induced proctitis, rectally administered foam GEMs reduced tissue injury and inflammation. Foam GEMs could help achieve safe therapeutic CO delivery.